GaN Device Supply Chain Remains Robust Despite Consolidation

Even with the well-publicized consolidation of RF Micro Devices and TriQuint Semiconductor, Infineon's acquisition of International Rectifier (IR) and most-recently Wolfspeed, and NXP Semiconductors' acquisition of Freescale Semiconductor, the gallium nitride (GaN) device supply chain is growing and diversifying, according to a report by Strategy Analytics that lists 37 companies manufacturing GaN devices for RF and power electronics applications.

"While RF GaN revenue is concentrated with Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations (SEDI), Wolfspeed (now part of Infineon) and Qorvo, the entire supply chain is bustling with activity," says Eric Higham, service director of Strategy Analytics' Advanced Semiconductor Applications service (ASA). "GaN performance enables a lot of new capabilities in high-power electronics applications and we expect to see more activity from new and established players as GaN gains traction in these applications," he adds.

"In the RF market, we expect defense applications of GaN to see strong growth, so this will boost this portion of the supply chain," notes Asif Anwar, service director of Strategy Analytics' Advanced Defense Systems service.